Kisses and Caroms

Okay. So life at a billiards store is usually pretty tame - except when you're working at Breaktime Billiards. Man. Seems like in 24-hours you get to see all walks of life, eavesdrop on people's sex lives, learn about how to almost get killed, and chalk it all up as a hard day's work.

I happen to know the director is a big fan of Kevin Smith, but that didn't prepare me for all the insanity scattered throughout this tightly conceived independent flick. I really enjoyed the customer "curve" balls. Having worked retail quite a bit, I could see where Rocca was coming from and going to. "Do you have pool cues?" Duh! Made me laugh.

If you're not into racy rendezvous, this movie might not be pour vous. But if you enjoy and good romp through blue-collar sex fantasies and can relate to random retail madness, this movie is bound to rack up some laughter.

I say, give it a shot!

This movie is particularly weak. Near the end there are about five or ten minutes which are mildly intriguing and provide only surface tension, but mostly this is a super lame attempt at crude comedy. The box seems to scream out that it is a Clerks wannabe, and the guy at the store told me that if I liked Clerks then I'd like this, but I don't' think that's true. Sure, this movie focuses around coworkers and their interactions with customers, but it ends there. In Clerks, Dante hates his job, which is what makes it work. In this movie David has a bachelor's degree but is so happy working at a billiard supply store that he doesn't feel the need to use it.

The DVD cover features a quip from Kevin Smith, but don't be fooled. Smith must have been washed over in hero worship. This film makes direct references to Dogma (Rufus, the 13th apostle) and Chasing Amy (fingercuffs) and includes a character named Silent Bobbette who is a female version of Silent Bob (but looks more like Jay trying to dress up like Silent Bob).

This movie doesn't live up to any indie hype it has.

I assume this is billed as a comedy because it sucks as a drama. Turns out it's just as bad if viewed as a comedy. Quite unfunny and dull.

Avoid - this doesn't work as any genre.

This movie hit me as an updated West Coast version of Clerks. Vince Rocca has created a real feeling of life in an area where "just sex" and "meaningful relationships" are often blurred by "glamour" of being a player. The characters all handled their roles with ease and both the writing and the acting nailed the point home. The only real misses where the toilet and sneeze scenes that seemed to in the movie for a shock effect. Ginger Lynn showed that she has a sense of comedic timing. Vince may just pick up where Kevin Smith left off with this gritty but real look at the illusion of promiscuity as a glamorous lifestyle, with a tongue in cheek delivery.

In California, Zack (Drew Wicks) owns the "Breakingtime Billiards", a store that sells pool tables and game room supplies. He works with his girlfriend Jennifer (Nikki Stanzione); the sexy seller Tara (Nicole Rayburn); the installer of pool tables and best friend, the wolf David (Ryan Parks), and his idiot assistant Eddie (Keith Alexander). After having a threesome arranged by Jen with Tara, Zach breaks up his relationship with Jen, in spite of her bringing him up all the time. He tells his sexual experience to David while Jen asks for an advice to her psychologist Dr. Bob Johnson (Bart Shattuck) in his radio show. Along the day and after the visit of many peculiar clients, Zack concludes that Jen is his dream girl.

"Kisses & Caroms" is visibly inspired in Kevin Smith's "Clerks" and "American Pie" franchise, with erotic and gross jokes and situations. However, this low budget movie has an ace called Nicole Rayburn. This unknown actress is extremely sexy and attractive with her luscious body, has a good acting and is the greatest attraction of this very reasonable independent film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Kisses & Caroms"